Looking up to Goldenscale, Chiei floated up to her. "You are right, but it is not exclusive to flarions. Any creature can do it, flaarions are just the only ones who know how to conjure the energies needed. It's an obscure practice that most creature would have no use for," she said, he voice seeming to echo in Goldenscale's mind, "Only the physical bodies of the spirits of nature truely need the practice, but all forms of life can use it.  The black you see are the spiritual barriers that have built up over the years. We are just removing them so that they no longer interfear in her life."

"She has built up a lot of barriers...  Makes  me wonder if I have done the same thing... but I don't know how..." she said, looking at Chiei.

"You have not. You would be able to tell since your life is directly tied to an element of nature, it would feel like a gradule weakening of your own lifeforce. You have built barriers of a different kind, ones that prevent such negative barriers from forming," Chiei said, breathing a thin steam of smoke onto Goldenscale, revealing a small patch of white, "If you were to try this, it woul only serve to strengthen those barriers and your bond with nature. Your friend Ahnah however, is building barriers like Mom has but at a much slower rate."

"There is, but it must be done while she is sleeping, when her mind is most at peace," she said, floating over to the hatchlings and sitting beside them, "Just focus on the bonds between nature and the body, the barriers will show themselves like they have for Mayumi. Then, you just have to peal each barrier off like pealing the layers of an onion. The first will be the easies, but they will get harder to pull off as you go deeper. I would be helping father, but the layers on Mom are too strong for me to pull now."

"But isn't it easier for both of you to work with each other to ull off the barriers?" she asked.  Normally, groups were stronger than individuals, she though.

"Spirits work differently.  We can not go beyond what our power allows us, but we can increase our power through years of rest. Since I have only been free for about a week now, i have very little power compared to father who has been resting since he died," she said, shaking her head, "Whle working together would make each layer come off faster, it would only do so until one of us reached our limit in power. Imagine pushing a boulder with someone, and they run out of stamina and have to quit. That is basically how it works." "So, what did you plan on doing with our siblings," she asked, looking over the hatchllings, "I'm free for a little while if you want to play a few games."

"That would be wonderful.  What game do you want to play?" she asked.

"A game of hide and seek sounds good. The creatures of the forest will stay clear of the area because of Mom's meditation so we would all be safe. I promise not to hide inside solid objects," she said, becoming more solid in color and form, "I haven't played any games in a long time, you have no idea how happy this makes me."

Look to each other, the hatchlings nodded before chirping in agreement at the game suggested.

"I never played any games during my chuldhood because I was crippled a year after I hatched...  This should be very fun." she said with a smile.

"That's sad to hear, but it's alright now. Wait, who is that," she asked, looking up to see Ece curled up on a branch as she watch everyone "Would she like to join?"

"Ece, want to play with us." she asked, nuzzling her.

"I'd love to, what are we playing," Ece asked, smilling and returning the gesture before looking to Chiei, "Who is this spirit? She seems so similar to Mayumi, yet so sad and distant."

"She would have been my sister.  She was Mayumi's daughter, and she died before I had known Mayumi or her.  And to you, she would be your aunt." she said with a smile.

Ece's eyes widened as she examined Chiei, the spirit taking on a more solid state. "IWhy is she here rather than the world beyond," she aske, tilting her head in confusion.

"I was called her by mother to restore her connection to nature. Any one person can call on their ancestors to do such if they know how. Humans have been using it as a way to comunicate with their loved ones, despite their lack of faith in nature and large lack of magic," Chiei said, finally comming into full existance, "Another little thing about spirits is that they can only take on a physical form when every thinking being believes they are there."